Prosthetic Socket Overlap to Reduce Skin Folding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional prosthetic sockets cause pain due to pressure points and gaps that fold the skin, especially in infants, while requiring sufficient fastening force.
Innovation Solution
A prosthetic socket design with a tubular shape and through holes, combined with linear bodies that distribute skin excess and a fastening mechanism, reduces pain by preventing skin folding and ensuring adequate fastening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If the two shell-shaped members are tightened to generate sufficient fastening force, then the fastening force is improved, but skin folding and creasing occur causing pain
Solution Approach 1:
The socket body is divided into multiple shell-shaped members (inner shell and outer shell) that can be adjusted independently. This segmentation allows the fastening mechanism to apply force distributed across multiple sections rather than concentrating pressure at single points, preventing skin folding while maintaining adequate fastening force.
Solution Approach 2:
The socket employs an adjustable fastening mechanism where the degree of tightening can be dynamically controlled. The shell members can be positioned at different overlap degrees, allowing the fastening force to be optimized to prevent skin creasing while still providing sufficient attachment strength. This dynamic adjustment capability resolves the contradiction between needing strong fastening and avoiding harmful pressure points.
2Force
If the total circumferential length is decreased to improve fastening, then the fastening force is improved, but gaps form between shell members causing skin convergence and folding
Solution Approach 1:
The socket structure employs nested shell members where the inner shell is positioned within the outer shell with controlled overlap. This nesting arrangement allows the shells to maintain close spacing without creating gaps, as each shell supports the other. The overlap region is designed to eliminate gaps that would cause skin convergence, while the nested configuration distributes fastening forces evenly across the interface between shells.
3Force
If the shell members are tightly overlapped to reduce circumferential length, then fastening force is improved, but level differences create gaps adjacent to the overlap
Solution Approach 1:
The socket design applies different structural characteristics to different regions of the shell members. The overlap region is specifically designed with controlled geometry to minimize level differences, while other regions maintain the necessary curvature and flexibility. This local optimization ensures that the fastening interface does not create gaps or skin convergence points, resolving the contradiction between tight overlap for fastening and smooth continuity to prevent skin folding.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a prosthetic socket capable of realizing both a decrease in pain felt by a wearer and generation of sufficient fastening force. A socket body 10 capable of forming a tubular shape that covers an outer periphery of a living body end portion FA includes an inner peripheral end portion 14 and an outer peripheral end portion 15. The outer peripheral end portion 15 overlaps the inner peripheral end portion 14 from an outer side in a radial direction of the tubular shape, and by increasing or decreasing an overlap area in the circumferential direction between the inner peripheral end portion 14 and the outer peripheral end portion 15, a total circumferential length of the tubular shape is decreased or increased. A plurality of through holes 21 are passed through the inner peripheral end portion 14, and are arranged in an axial direction of the tubular shape and spaced apart from each other. A plurality of linear bodies 20 include a one end portion 20A that is supported by the outer peripheral end portion 15 on one side in the circumferential direction of a tip 14A of the inner peripheral end portion 14, and an other end portion 20B that is supported by the socket body 10 on another side in the circumferential direction of the tip 14A of the inner peripheral end portion 14, the plurality of linear bodies 20 being passed through the through holes 21, being arranged in the axial direction and spaced apart from each other.